The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-07-21
RURAL TOPICS.
Indications that the Condition of
Farmers will improve In tho Near
Future-IndustrialN Notes.
Some Favorable Prospects.

Futurc-Industrial Notes.
Some Favorable Prospects.
Farmers have known little of pros
perity for several years, says The
Chicago Times. Prices from all the
products of the farm, garden. and
orchard have been very low. The on
lv animals that have sold at good
igures have been horses and mules.
The market for almost every kind of
term product has been overstocked.
even when crops have been light over
considerable portion of the country.
The past few seasons have been very
unfavorable tor crops in several states
and territories For year and Il half
there has been deficiency of rain
throughout the northwest. The lack
of moisture largely reduced the crops
of oats, corn, and potatoes. In some
sections the deficient supply of water
prevented farm animals from gaining
rapidly. The price OF most of the
been obliged TO buy has been high.
Farmers have been heavily taxed for
the protection of all the manufacture
ing industries. They have also been
taxed to pay bonds issued to secure the
constructions OF railroads. to erect
bridges. school houses, and county
buildings. In many cases they have
been taxed to pay debts that other peo-
pie coE!I.,cteo.
Apparently there have been too many
farmers. There has been IN overpro-
duction of every kind OF grain and
meat. This has been to 4 great extent
the effect OF the many inducements
that have been held out to foreigners
to come 10 this country and engage in
farming. All the sparely- y-settled states
and territories have been trying to en-
courage persons to come and take up
unoccup ed land. They have published
pamphlets setting forth how easy it
syas TO acquire farms. to improve them.
and TO make money by raising grain
and breeding cattle, and have scattered
them broadcast over the world. In
suany eases they have been printed in
several languages. and men have been
sent to distant lands to circulate them
Politicians in the new territories have
been desirous of having the population
increased so they could be adm tied in
To the union and they could be elected
governors and senators. They wanted
4 large crop of votes TO harvest, and
the only way they saw to secure 1t was
so import men who would engage in
raising crops of wheat, oats. and corn.
All the land-grant railway companies
have done their part to increase the
number OF farmers. They wanted to
get money for their land. They want
ed grain and cattle to carry to market
at exorbitant prices, and they also
svanted men to pay the construction
bonds that had been voted. These roads
greatly increased the number of farm
ers. who. as Il matter OF course, brought
down prices by the multitude of cattle
and hogs and the great amount of
grain they sent to market The home
stead, pre-emption, and forest-tree cul-
ture acts all tended to increase the
number of farmers. Giving land to
anyone who would occupy it and raise
crops on it was like Offering chromos
to persons who would subscribe fol
newspapers or buy goods 1T corner
grocery. The farms, like the papers
and cakes of soap, event OFT like hot
cakes" A territory in which little or ne
manufacturing or mining was done
would raise four times as much grain
and meat as the inhabitants could con
sume. The surplus went to the great
markets of the country and helped
cause a reduction in prices.
Tho range and ranch business ha:
been very injurious to persons who
raised cattle and sheep on land they
owned and on which they were com
pelled to pay taxes. The cattle barons
had few expenses. They occupied lanG
Belonging to the people at large. They
paid no taxes. They provided NJ
Shelter for their stock, harvested nc
hay for them, and fed them no grain.
The food eaten by herd of ten thou
sand cattle, or fiock of twenty thou.
sand sheep cost no more than the all
they breathed. A branding-iron, few
Indian ponies, some cheap saddles and
briddles and the pay Of the cowboys
constituted almost the only item of ex
pense The cost of raising sheep o,
the great plains was even less than tha
of raising cattle. The beef mutton
and wool produced Oh the ranch ant
range came into direct competition
with those produced Oh improves
farms. That the price of meat AM
wool should be low under these circum
stances is not strange. People can sci
articles that cost them next to nothing
at low price and still make money.
Persons who have been to the ex
pense of purchasing and improvin!
farms NAV derive some consolation ant
encouragement from thinking that th
public land available for general agri
cultural purposes is nearly all dispOs
ed of. The like Is true of the larg
amount of land granted to railwa,
companies. There is very little land il
the country capable of producing corr
that does not belong to individuals, an
is not devoted to that purpose as oftel
as it is prudent to do so. According tt
the reports published in the far-wes
papers the range cattle business is sub
stantially "played out" A Denver
journal states that the last genera
.'round up" in Colorado will be helt
this year. There will still be ranches
but there will be no open range. Blu
the prediction is made by this pape
that the ranch as we'll rs the rang,
must CO." Men vino wish to rails
cattle, sheep. or horses on small
scale are acquiring titles to bodies Q
land that they can fence, irrigate, o
otherwise improve. The changes tina
have been going on in Texas durin
the past ten years are extending int
A. s4otaa aud territories further Yves
and north.
That the country will continue to in
crease in population as rapidly as
has in the past seems altogether likely
Its agricultural population. however